Haven't been on here in awhile, but I am currently in Rockford, Illinois, okay to be specific I quess it's not "Rockford", as my daughter so lovingly just pointed out to me, we are in "Poplar Grove", Illinois! Which is closest to Rockford, which is Northeast of Chicago by about an hour or so. No big trips to the big city though, much too cold yet for me to take on such an adventure. The cold and I just don't get along that well. But, we are having a great time just just spending time with family.

I was reading today in the book of James, when I came to 4:6, it was speaking of "grace". This word seems to have crossed my path quite a bit lately, maybe thats why it caught my attention. When I think about the word "grace", and ponder on the given Biblical meaning of the word which is:

Gods unmerited undeserved favor;

Gods ability in us and for us what we are incapable of doing for ourselves.

Although we speak of His grace and hear it spoken of often, are we really grasping and living in it's true meaning?

Maybe it's forgiveness, or acceptance. In our own power maybe we can't forgive the person who hurt us, or we just can't see how we can accept the choices someone close to us is making in their lives, but if we are realistic and look back where we once were, we will see, that we were not deserving to receive Gods forgiveness and grace. Our Father looks beyond the actions and only looks at who He created us to be.

In Titus3:3-7 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared. He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

According to this word, we can "do" nothing to insure grace given to us. If we were required to deserve it, I'm afraid not one of us would receive grace. I quess the thing I'm most curious about is not the "why" of Gods grace but more the "why" of us being so reluctant to give it ourselves. We receive it from the Lord just because of His love for us, yet we tend to make those in and around our own lives "earn" it, they somehow must be deserving. As this scripture says, we too once walked in the lustfulness of sin, and when the grace of God was offered we willingly accepted.

My prayer today is that the Lord would show us in our hearts how to give the same grace He so willigly has given us, to others, not because they deserve it, but just because to do so will bring joy to our Fathers heart, which should be the desire of our heart.

Partakers of Christ

For the past couple months many of us have been hearing all the controversy about Oprah Winfey's worldwide classroom, and her radio program, as well as controversy over many Pastor's or preachers with television ministries, and their speaking out in what they believe to be the truth on the meaning of "eternal life". I've watched a few of the Youtube video's and have read several articles taken from various news columns written by far left, far right and all over in the middle, journalists, I've heard many describe it all as "scary" and/or "unbelievable". I must admit, when I think about what we may face in ten years down the road my heart could begin to beat just a bit faster out of a moment of fear. Then........His words come back to me......
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?"

Hebrews 3: 14
For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.

The Lord tells us to heed His words, and not to walk carelessly or lay out our own paths for our lives. We don't know what will happen in the days to come.
Our only hope is Him! To have a close walk with Him, hold firmly onto His hand, listen closely to His words.
We can spend endless hours watching and listening to all of the "garbage" out there, and what we hear shouldn't surprise us. So much of what is happening has been foretold to us in His word.
Now is the time we must draw near to Him, know the truth for ourselves through His word, embrace our relationship with Him and His promises.
Read further 2 Timothy 3.

Jesus and only Jesus is our truth and our hope, our answer to any and everything to come today and for all our tomorrows.

May the Love of Jesus bring peace to your heart.

APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!!!!!

Libby got me! Lil snot' put a rubber band around the sprayer at the kitchen sink, and got me good, I soaked myself!

BUT, I had revenge!!!!!!! I greased the toilet seat with vaseline !!!!!!!!!!! tee hee hee !!!

ITS POTTY TIME !!!!!!!!

Thats right, it's potty time! Amazingly, Kammy took all the work out of it for all of us.

Last week-end she was staying with us and she just decided it was time. She came to me with a very serious look on her face, tugged at my sleeve, and then said as plain as could be, "I haf to go potty". She told us she had to go potty every time for the rest of the day! Later I called her Mommy to tell her she'd better pick up a potty chair on her way home. Of course she didn't believe me at first. Here little 22 month old Kammy comes to my house and literally 6 hours later she's potty trained! She has been going in her "big girl potty" ever since last Friday!

The one thing I have learned from being a parent and a grandparent is what a blessing it is to truely realize what is important at this time and what isn't. Taking the time to sit down and play a game is much more important than folding laundry, staying up late to just talk to your teenager sometimes is more important than getting eight hours sleep. Remembering what is was like to be their age, and the things that are important in their world need to be real in our world too, and spending the time letting them know that, know matter what that may entail, is much more important than spending time on our computers or even making sure the house is clean.

Know matter who or what may ever walk into their lives as they grow, we are and always will be the ones who hold the greatest influence on our children and our childrens children. We ought to take that very seriously. If our children have witnessed us on our knees in conversation with our Lord, if our children have witnessed us reading and studying our Bibles, if our children have witnessed us being light and truth in a dark world, they too will seek those things.

Just like Kammy did going on the" big girl potty". I look forward to the day when she looks up with her beautiful brown eyes, and says' "I want Jesus".